A Tribute to Dr Thomas C. Van Flandern

I had the pleasure of meeting and dining with Dr Tom Van Flandern. A fine gentlemen and genius physicist / astronomer. It’s always the very experts you should be relying on in history that are admonished by lesser minds. Likewise Giordano Bruno was a famous astronomer who was burned at the stake in 1600 for heresy. He was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and cosmologist. Bruno was a controversial figure during his lifetime, and his execution is considered to be a watershed moment in the history of science and religion. But with the controls in place of Science Foundations etc. The stakes you burn at have just been changed.

Here are some key facts about Dr. Thomas C. Van Flandern:

• An American astronomer and physicist specializing in celestial mechanics. He worked at the U.S. Naval Observatory for over 20 years.
• Known for his controversial views on cosmology and the speed of gravity. He advocated for an alternative cosmology called the “metaphysical universe” which rejected the Big Bang theory.
• Rejecting the theory of dark matter. He argued it was an ad hoc explanation to preserve the Big Bang theory.
• Asserting that the speed of gravity must be at least 20 billion times faster than the speed of light. This was to explain observed celestial motions without dark matter.
• Believing the universe is infinite in age and size. He disputed the Big Bang theory and felt the universe had no beginning.
• Arguing against black holes and neutron stars. He felt their existence was incompatible with his views on gravity’s speed.
• Promoting the idea that planets originated as fragments ejected from larger bodies. This was an alternative to planetary accretion.
• Founding the Meta Research organization in 1990 to promote and research alternative cosmological models.
• He published several books including “Dark Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets” outlining his controversial views and theories.
• He also had some key thoughts on the fourth planet which he believed Mars to be a moon of and the asteroid belt to be the planets remnants.
• Sadly and unexpectedly he passed away in 2009 at age 68 of a form of fast acting brain cancer.